Nicki Minaj’s anger towards Miley Cyrus at the VMAs was reportedly “very real and not a pre-planned bit”.

The 32-year-old called the Wrecking Ball singer – who was hosting the event – a “b***h” during her acceptance speech for Best Hip Hop Video at Sunday night’s ceremony. The comment came after the 22-year-old talked about Nicki in an interview last week, and while fans speculated it was all staged, insiders have revealed that the feud is very real.

“Nicki was livid with Miley and decided to air her feelings onstage," a source told Us Weekly. "The anger was very real and not a pre-planned bit at all."

Nicki Minaj accepts the award for best hip hop video for "Anaconda" at the 2015 MTV Video Music Awards in Los Angeles, California August 30, 2015. REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni

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The Starships singer reportedly lashed out after Miley told The New York Times that she wasn’t impressed by the way Nicki reacted on Twitter to the news that her Anaconda video hadn’t been shortlisted for Video of the Year. Miley told the outlet that she didn’t respect her fellow musician because of the anger in which it was portrayed. She also said the star “is not too kind and not very polite”.

Never one to bite her tongue, Nicki vented her anger at the former Hannah Montana star, finishing her speech with: "And now... back to this b***h that had a lot to say about me in the press. Miley, what’s good?"

Miley appeared shocked by the outburst and a source told People magazine that the staff behind the scenes were left open mouthed too.

"[Staffers] jaws dropped. It wasn't staged in any way and caught everyone by surprise," the insider told the outlet. "After it happened, people made sure they didn't run into each other backstage because they weren't sure if there would be another confrontation."